Variable Valve Operating System for an Internal Combustion Engine

ABSTRACT

A variable valve operating system for an internal combustion engine that has a plurality of electromagnetic actuators for the intake and exhaust valves in a multi-cylinder engine. This engine does not have the conventional lifters, pushrods, rocker arms, cam, timing chain and gear. Computerized software controls and executes the duration of valve opening and closing, lift, timing, and synchronization of the valve action to the crankshaft. This allows a dynamic operation of the engine to effect various selected performance modes. One mode can be selected for the desired driving condition. An engine built comprising this current invention will require fewer parts, be more reliable and less machine work to manufacture as a savings and benefit to all.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent applicationSer. No. 60/667,793, filed 2005 Mar. 31 by the present inventors.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to a variable valve operating system for amulti-cylinder internal combustion engine with a plurality ofelectromagnetic valve actuators matched to the valves and a computerprocessor that controls and executes the duration of valve opening andclosing, lift, timing, duration of the fuel injector's activation andsynchronization of the valves to the camshaft and crankshaft that willrun in one of a selected performance mode.

2. Prior Art

Many inventors have invented electromagnetic actuators and talked aboutusing them on internal combustion engines. The information in the listedPatents and Applications below are remiss in not mentioning a computerand appropriate software or otherwise a method that was to make thevalve actuators function correctly to operate in an engine. U.S. Pat.No. 6,164,253 Alberter, Baumel, Breu, Flierl, Gramann, Hettich,Kretschmer, Maute, Schenk, Theil, Wiedemann Dec. 26, 2000 talks aboutthe actuator shafts and a cooled intermediate level being cooled byconnecting them to cooling medium channels of the cylinder head orcooling circuit of the internal combustion engine. They say, “cooling isassured for the actuator control device and actuators”. They say theactuator carrier is screwed to the head. This will conduct a substantialamount of heat from the engine. It should be insulated at leastpartially. Well the water of a running engine is approximately 235 to260 degrees. You can't cool anything with this. They don't say anythingabout exactly how the valves are actuated or will function with aprogram.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,296 Wunning, Davis, Schmidt, Penick, Deiri, andYoung Apr. 13, 1993 says that actuators may include electromechanical,electromagnetic, hydraulic, or piezoelectric devices. Well, these aretotally different structures so they can't be the same invention. Thenit says the actuators utilize hydraulic amplification, which amplifiesthe linear expansion of the piezoelectric actuator to provide thenecessary amount of actuation. Some production engines can run up to6000 RPM. We have determined from experts that hydraulic fluid can'tmove this fast. We can't see the problems they're talking about andtheir presentation doesn't seem to solve anything. They say that thespecific circuitry to carry out the invention is a matter of designchoice and is not critical to the present invention. Shouldn't thedesign choice be in the patent? This means their patent is not completeas far as a Control system for an Internal Combustion Engine. They arerunning two microprocessors and are running a tremendous number ofsoftware modules and complex calculations. Probably too many for a 6000RPM engine. This Control system for an Internal Combustion Engine is apile of pages and pages of confusing garble and is entirely toocomplicated for practical use. Japanese Patent Application 2000-081891Mar. 23, 2000 U.S. patent application 09/810,532 Pub No. 2001/0023667Hajime Miura Mar. 19, 2001 doesn't seem to show any purpose for thisinvention except that it allows the engine to work under variousoperation cycles. Engines do this anyway. He doesn't define all of histerms such as “Non-Throttle operation”. He talks about 2 cycle, 4 cycle,12 cycle, and 16 cycle operations. Apparently the engine wouldn't firehalf of the cylinders for a period of time and then fire every 6th or9th revolution. The compression and expansion strokes are repeated 2 to9 times with both valves closed without firing. Like most designers, Ican't imagine how any of this could possibly work. If anything it wouldprobably drag the engine down so bad it wouldn't run. He talks about aControl System in the Claims but it isn't very clear what the purpose isof this invention. There is virtually no definition of the ControlSystem in the description. For a Patent Application with 30 claims Ihave a problem seeing the purpose for something that it is confusing tosee how it could work. This patent application was filed 5 years ago.Obviously the examiners the examiners can't figure it out either.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, several objects and advantages of our variable valveoperating system are:

-   1. To provide a complete workable variable valve operating system to    operate the valves of a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine    using electromagnetic valve actuators and a computer processor with    appropriate software/firmware. The design choice is included in our    patent.-   2. To provide a new design that will eliminate a substantial number    of valve train parts. This will simplify manufacturing by also    eliminating a substantial amount of the machine work. This will make    the engine lighter in weight.-   3. To provide an engine that will have a lower cost to manufacture    and eventually improve profitability for the auto manufacturer and    benefit the consumer.-   4. To provide an engine that will operate in a plurality of    performance modes dynamically and electronically. These modes can    change from a stock mode to a high gas mileage mode to a high    performance mode merely by selection.    Further objects and advantages of our variable valve operating    system will become apparent from consideration of the ensuing    descriptions.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the variable valve operating system for an internalcombustion engine it has a plurality of electromagnetic actuators forthe intake and exhaust valves. A computer, including software/firmwarethat control the duration of valve opening and closing, lift, timing,duration of the fuel injector's activation and synchronization of thevalve action to the crankshaft and operates the system electronically.This allows a dynamic operation of the engine to effect one of variousselected performance modes. One mode can be selected for the desireddriving conditions.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 Overall Unit schematic

Reference Numerals

-   10 Our computer Module-   12 Actuators-   14 Crankshaft sensor Signal-   16 Cam Sensor Signal-   18 Manufacturers Computer Control Module-   20 Actuator Wire-   22 Engine

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Two embodiments are possible under the current invention. The firstembodiment as the conventional engine has one intake and one exhaustvalve per cylinder. The second embodiment has two intake and two exhaustvalves per cylinder. This double valve arrangement allows the actuatorsto alternate operation and reduces the number of cycles per second peractuator. This is currently necessary because some actuators are notfast enough for some Current engines RPMs. This second embodiment iscurrently the preferred embodiment.

This system, utilizing the above preferred embodiment, will control theduration of the intake and exhaust valve opening and closing, theduration of the actuation of the fuel injector (for that particularcylinder) and the acceleration curve of the ignition timing system. Ouradditional computer control system will interface with theelectromagnetic actuators controlling the activation duration for theopening and closing of the valve, interface with the vehicles currentcontrol module (which will be reprogrammed to suit our needs) as a meansto control the fuel injector's activation time to correspond with thevalves duration of opening and closing and the acceleration curve forthe ignition timing to produce the desired mode of operation.

The actuators 12 are connected to the computer 10. Software/ firmware isinstalled in the computer 10. The software, which is synchronized by thecam sensor and the crankshaft sensor will actuate the valves' duration,lift, timing. Air movement fans and ducts will be mounted and connectedto the tappet covers for cooling the actuators. The two Tappet coversare installed over the Actuators 12 on the head. The overall wiring isbuilt as in FIG. 1.

Operation

To operate the variable valve operating system for an internalcombustion engine one needs to start the engine with the ignition key.The system starts up in stock mode. Once the engine is in operation fora few minutes, other modes can be manually selected. The high gasmileage mode would usually be selected for highway driving. It is goingto have a little less power. The high performance mode would usually beselected for passing, climbing steep grades or off road operation. Thismode will have more power but less gas mileage. The stock mode is foraverage driving.

Thus the reader will see that an engine built comprising the currentinvention will provide a dynamic operation according to one selection ofseveral possible performance modes. It is a new generation of enginedesign that has several operating modes in one engine that can bemanufactured with fewer parts and less machine work.

Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by theembodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legalequivalents.

1. A variable valve operating system for an internal combustion enginecomprising: (a) a plurality of electromagnetic valve actuators that areinstalled and attached to each of a plurality of intake and exhaustvalves of a multi-cylinder engine. (b) a computer processor andsoftware/firmware having means to track top dead center of number 1piston and ignition timing of number 1 cylinder. (c) said softwarefirmware with means to control the valve's duration of opening andclosing, lift, timing, and synchronization with crankshaft.
 2. Thesoftware/firmware of claim 1 wherein said means to control valve'sduration of opening and closing is arranged to execute appropriatelydesigned software/firmware to provide one each of multiple modes ofperformance.
 3. The multiple modes of performance of claim 2 whereinperformance modes can be manually selected one at a time by the operatorof the vehicle to instruct said software/firmware to execute thefunctions necessary for the desired performance mode.
 4. Theelectromagnetic valve actuators of claim 1 wherein the design of thetappet covers has the means to cool the actuators by a cooling mediumflowing through said tappet covers and passing over said actuators.Whereby we now have said internal combustion engine that can run as aselection of one of several different performance modes and saidinternal combustion engine will cost substantially less to manufacturebecause there is a substantial number of parts and amount of machinework that have been e